Local couple gifts $25,000, 60 works of art to Columbus Museum of Art
With the renovations at Aminah Robinson‘s house complete and the artist-in-residence program already underway, the Columbus Museum of Art announced recently the establishment of a fund to further raise awareness of the late artist and her legacy.
The Aminah Robinson Legacy Endowment and Resource Fund will help expand Robinson’s national profile by supporting the ongoing care and long-term capital needs of her house and studio on the Near East Side; residency and fellowship programs; and related exhibitions as well as help develop the new Aminah Robinson Library and Archives to be housed at the Pizzuti Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art.
An inaugural donation of $25,000 was provided by local couple Donna and Larry James to launch the fund. The museum plans to raise $500,000 over each of the next two years, with a goal to reach $1 million by 2025, the 10th anniversary of Robinson’s death.
Robinson died in 2015 at the age of 75, leaving her estate and home to the art museum.
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To oversee that and ensure her works’ place in the pantheon of influential 20th and 21st century art, the museum created the Aminah Robinson Legacy Project, which this endowment funds.
Larry James, an area attorney who has served on the boards of various community and arts organizations, said he and his wife wanted to give to this cause because of the impact Robinson had on the community. This created an opportunity to continue her work.
“She had a spirituality about herself and her art,” James said. “She was a world traveler and she could relate to kings and queens, but she could also relate to everyone in the neighborhood … She was a unique artist who embraced the world and you can’t help but feel good and pulled in by her.
“You always feel at home with Aminah.”
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Also, James said both he and Robinson came from meager means and he shares her philanthropic spirit of giving back.
Helping the residency program in Robinson’s name thrive was important for James and his wife.
“When looking at great institutions around the world, the ones that do exceptional legacy work have residency programs,” James said, adding that housing it in Robinson’s home — a place where she did a lot of her work — makes it all the more special.
60 pieces of art also donated to Columbus Museum of Art
In addition to the financial contribution, Larry and Donna James, who have been longtime supporters of the museum, also announced this week a donation of 60 works from their personal collection to the museum.
The pieces focus on figurative work from the mid-20th century to today and present an uplifting vision of African American life and culture. The collection features 27 artists, including Elizabeth Catlett and Jacob Lawrence as well as Columbus artists Smoky Brown and, of course, Robinson.
Fifty of the works will be on display from March 5 to Oct. 2 in the “Forward Together: Promised Gifts from the Collection of Donna and Larry James” exhibit.
Museum executive director Nannette Maciejunes said the gift greatly increases the diversity of its collection as it features 18 artists not currently in it.
“We are honored that Donna and Larry James took this leap of faith with us by promising their collection to the museum,” Maciejunes said in a statement.
“This momentous gift will allow us to continue to push forward our efforts to diversify the art we share with the community and ensure all visitors feel a sense of belonging.”
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